This invention relates, in general, to control of article position prior to packaging articles, and is more particularly concerned with separating groups of predetermined quantities of the articles from a continuous stream of articles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,147 to Reuteler concerns a bottle grouping assembly and method for a packaging machine. The apparatus comprises a pair of rotatable selector wheel assemblies that rotate at constant velocity between which a double stream of bottles moves. The bottles are directed to the rotatable selector wheel assemblies and a finger attached to each rotatable selector wheel, engages a selected bottle and accelerates the bottle to a machine speed that is greater than the in-feed speed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,323 to Flix illustrates a device for spacing products having carriages, each of which is capable of moving independently of the other carriages. Each carriage includes a grasping element for grasping products, individually or by lots, and a drive part for pulling the carriage on a guide rail. The grasping element and the drive part of each carriage are controlled by an electronic control box which enables spacing desired between two consecutive products to be achieved.
Both these references and the prior art refer to means for positioning or separating articles from the stream of articles and generally seek to address common problems associated with achieving consistency in the positioning or number of articles separated from the stream of articles. The present invention addresses the difficulties associated with providing versatility of operation from a single apparatus for separating articles from a stream of articles.